Learn how to use the Hyper Editor in Logic Pro as a powerful drum sequencer. A common frustration to Logic users is the lack of a dedicated, flexible and intuitive drum sequencer. Fortunately with a little knowledge, you can create a drum sequencer as easy to use as Glaresoft’s iDrum, but far more powerful

In this lesson we explore the way it is possible to use the Hyper Editor in Logic Pro and Logic Express to create an extremely powerful drum sequencer. Used in conjunction with the Rewire lessons and Routing Multi Instrument Audio Outputs lesson here at Logic Café, alongside a drum sampler programme with the capacity for multiple audio outputs such as Native Instruments Battery or the EXS 24 Multi Instrument, you will have a seriously powerful sequencing tool to add to your home or professional studio set up.

Note: It is recommended that you select and load your samples / sounds into the sampler BEFORE building this drum sequencer. This is due to the convenience in naming the channels in the sequencer and knowing which MIDI notes you are going to trigger.

Step 1:

Load your preferred instrument into the Arrange page. In this example the Seventies Kit is used.

Step 2:The next step is to input the MIDI notes to which your drum sounds are allocated into the Logic Arrange window. The technique for this is as follows:

This will insert the notes at the point the song is currently at. In this example the song is at the beginning, thus the notes were created at the first beat of the first bar. You will see a midi data object appear in the arrange page.

Step 3:

In the tab section above the transport bar, click Hyper Edit.

Step 4:

In the Hyper Edit window click on Hyper>Clear Hyper Set and then Hyper>Create Hyper Set.

Step 5:

In the Hyper Edit window, click on Hyper>Create Multiple Event Definitions. You will see the notes you programmed in step 2 appear as a list in the Hyper Editor.

Step 6:

The next step is to name the newly created drum sequencer tracks.

Click on the top note in the drum sequencer. This is equal to the first note you pressed in step 2.

In the gray parameters box for the Hyper Edit to the left of the screen, double click the note name. This allows you to type.

Type the name of the drum which is allocated to this particular note.

You will see the track name change in the Hyper editor.

Repeat for the rest of your drum sounds.

Step 7:

Press escape on your QWERTY keyboard to bring up the tools and select the eraser tool. Click on the note data in the Hyper Editor to erase it.The resulting Hyper Edit is your blank sequencer. Notice how the note names you have entered have become sequencer tracks.

NOTE: You may wish to change the size of the Hyper Edit view in order for it to fit your screen partition. Use the sliders in the corner of the Hyper Edit window to control this.

Set the cycle mode to 1 bar and stretch out the window by clicking on the enlarge window points until it fills the hyper edit window.

Step 8:

Press escape on your QWERTY keyboard to bring up the tools and select the Pencil tool.